Salaries and job vacancies are expected to rise in Peterborough throughout the year, according to a new survey.

The Cooper Lomaz annual salary survey claims that 55 per cent of firms are planning to take on extra staff with the economy expected to grow by about two per cent.

But the survey warns that employers face a battle to attract and retain staff which will fuel wage increases.

It states that 58 per cent of workers had a pay increase of about four per cent last year with 35 per cent seeing no change and six per cent having a pay cut.

However, the survey also warns that staff seeking job satisfaction are putting interesting work and good management ahead of salary.

Mark Fletcher, operations director for recruitment agency Cooper Lomaz, said: “Companies are being more innovative with benefits, holiday options, mobile and home working.

“A skills shortage in some sectors means employees are benefitting from a bidding war of salary offers as their existing bosses seek to retain their services,”

He added: “The trends in Peterborough include tough competition for food manufacturing production and supervisory roles with recruitment from Europe and beyond, and employers are increasing salaries to attract and retain the best candidates.

He said: “We have seen a big increase in some IT roles in the Peterborough area, with salaries expected to rise as demand outstrips candidate supply.”